1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a container for housing food and a tray using the container.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, containers having a variety of shapes, sizes and materials have been used to contain various foods such as rice, side dishes and the like. One container of this kind, for example, is a container for carrying rice or a side dish, such as a lunch box, which is sold at stands of railway stations for tourists. The container needs to be sufficiently rigid to carry food. Thus many conventional food containers are shaped from materials such as wood, styro-foam, cardboard, etc. Typically, such food containers are used with lids conforming to their openings.
A food container manufactured to have rigidness or strength as a top priority is not easily crushed into a compact piece for disposal, which results in bulky garbage. Such garbage needs a large disposal space compared to compact garbage, which is undesirable in view of obvious environmental concerns.
Food containers formed of a material thinner than cardboard may have an improved crushability. However, such containers are subject to spilling due to the easy deformation of the material. Further, it is troublesome to reliably mount a lid on an opening that tends to deform.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a food container that can be crushed into a compact piece for disposal and further, one that has enough rigidity for a lid to be reliably mounted thereon and is easy to handle.